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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Welcome to Wednesday Briefs! It's flash fiction, so this story will be presented in 1000(ish)-word chapters. I hope you enjoy it, and check out the many other flashers, whose links are below. You can also check out the Wednesday Briefs Blog for more info and to sign up for email notifications.

It didn't. "I hope you're happy!" she shrieked. "Everyone in the villa heard what you two were doing. My God Aramis, I am so embarrassed. There are nearly two hundred vampires here, most of them with their mates, and yet you two were the only ones that made a spectacle out of yourselves!"

She started speaking rapid Italian to my mate, who seemed to shrink an inch with every harsh word spat at him by his mother. I couldn't let Aramis take the blame, though, so I said, "It's my fault, Aurelia. I would blame it on being a new vampire, but I won't. We should have been more… discreet."

I was glad she switched back to English, but she was still pissed. "A bull in a china shop would have been more discreet, Eliot. Now I want you two to go out there and apologize to the count. Then, I want you to go upstairs and clean up whatever… mess you made."

There was a knock on the door, and I was glad of the reprieve. When the door opened and the count came in, however, I wasn't so happy. I decided to get it over with. "Count Corleanni, I'm very sorry for what happened. It's my fault entirely, and if you'd like me to apologize to your guests then—"

He put up a hand and smiled. "Please, think nothing of it." Aramis and I glanced at each other, both wondering if he was joking. The count continued, "Though I am very old, I realize what it is like to be young and newly mated. And Eliot here is a newborn. We can hardly expect him to keep his libido in check, especially after such a traumatic week."

Aramis cleared his throat. "Uh… we need to clean up the room."

"Already done," he said. "Now join the party and please do not be embarrassed." Aurelia stood there, gaping at the count. He took her chin in his hand and said, "My dear Aurelia, you are a wonderful mother and have a beautiful family. You have a strength and courage that I so admire—we all do. Even as a human, you fought for your love, and trust me, I know standing up to my wife is a formidable task."

I made a mental note to ask what had happened between the two women, but now didn't seem the appropriate time. Aurelia smiled at the count. "Grazie, signore," she said and left the room.

The count chuckled and said, "By the way, boys. We've moved your room to the far wing. It's soundproofed."

As he turned to leave, I asked. "Another soundproofed room? What's that for?"

A devilish grin spread over his face. "It used to be the torture chamber, but don't go yet, since we're having apple pie for dessert in honor of our American guests. I hope you're hungry."

With that bizarre declaration, he walked out, leaving Aramis and I scratching our heads. I spoke first. "Do you think that torture chamber and apple pie have ever been used in the same sentence?"

Before the argument could progress any further, Lucia and Blanca strolled in with two young male vampires I'd not met before. All of the brothers stopped talking and turned to face the newcomers. Marco cleared his throat and extended a hand. "Marco Ambrogi," he said with a small inclination of his head.

The taller of the two shook Marco's hand. "Bennett Skelton-Twombley," he said. His posh English accent fit the name well. He motioned to his friend. "This is Houghton Hugh-Phipps."

Epp smirked. "From Clan Hyphenation."

We couldn't help but snicker. The girls weren't amused we were teasing their potential suitors. Bennett took it in stride, though. He said, "Yes, it's rather absurd. The British aristocracy do so love making things difficult for their descendants. I had a mate at school named Percival Tarquin Highclere Fotheringay-Beckhurst—"

"The sixth," Houghton finished. "Poor sod. And he had a lisp."

"Oh damn," I said. "That is very unfortunate."

"Yes," Bennett laughed. Then he spied the game table and said, "Oh, look here, Phipps! Care for a game of carombole?"

He retrieved the three balls from Epp, while Houghton took the cue sticks from Marco and Nero. The two English vampires began to play a bizarre kind of quasi-billiards that I couldn't quite wrap my head around. I tugged Aramis out of the room and we went to find the food.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

I'm so pleased today to play host to Cia Nordwell, celebrating her new release, ADVERSE EFFECTS. This is the second book in the Saving Caeorleia series. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing at the bottom of the post. Thanks for reading, and I'll turn it over to Alicia!

Growing up, I was really into historical biographies or fiction. I also loved the classics. After that I was a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey and her Dragonriders of Pern stories. Once I fell in love with sci-fi, I branched out in a lot of her other works that followed more traditional mores, too. But I became hooked on science fiction by the book, Dune. It’s a cultural icon in the genre, imo, and a great example of incredible world-building that spans a vast amount of space, time, and cultures.

Dune follows a central character’s journey as Paul Atriedes comes of age in a place that is alien to him. His life and choices are dictated by his station in life and upon the customs and accepted practices of the universe he lives within—but he’s not all that he appears to be. There is more to him under the surface, and far more to the plot than what those characters who play the parts of the villain wish for others to see. That element in the story and characters really draws me in as a reader and inspires me as an author.

While Adverse Effects is no Dune, I really tried to employ those elements into my story. Neither of my main characters wear their hearts on their sleeves; they both have a lot of secrets and hidden depths that are gradually shared with each other and the reader as the plot progresses. The conflict that arises against them is also far more complex than it seems—much to their dismay—and the fate of more than just a single world lies in the balance.

I hope you’ll enjoy all the layers in Adverse Effects.

ADVERSE EFFECTS - SAVING CAEORLEIA BOOK 2
Dade, human-Caeorleian hybrid and ex-military grunt, doesn’t fit in—not with humans, not with aliens, not anywhere. He’s always on the outskirts, angry, and people aren’t sure they can trust him. When he encounters a compatible tziu named Yaseke, secrets, misunderstandings, and attacks nearly prevent the two from making a connection Dade sorely needs. Even after they unite, Dade and Yaseke face challenges that two newly joined males should never have to endure.

From traitorous council members, to sadistic aliens who plan to sell them as slaves, to meeting a mysterious race of revered aliens called Collectors, Dade and Yaseke manage to stay together—and even rescue two youths related to Yaseke, who’ve lost their parents to the same betrayer.

Someone from Dade’s past is at the root of everything he’s suffered. No way can he let them get away with what they’re planning, but Dade isn’t sure he can stop them on his own. If he doesn’t let go of his isolation and risk the pain letting others in will bring, he’ll never save Caeorleia in time.

EXCERPT: CHAPTER ONE
Sunlight glared off the silver surface of the lake, blinding me where I crouched away from everyone. The guard currently assigned to me stood at my back, making my skin crawl. I shivered, even though it was hot enough I was sweating. I never knew when one of them might try to touch me.

The water cooled my fingers when I dipped them in, making small swirling circles ripple around my hand. My hovering shadow, a guard assigned to follow me around, shouted over to the guards who were with the main group lounging together beside the lake. The sound startled me, and I jerked, splashing water over my robe. I glared at him from the corner of my eye, but my guard was talking to Fieo and not paying that much attention to me. Nicklaus was sitting in the shade of the weird brown trees by the water. He was busy talking to Ryker, the other human who’d set us free from the military scientists.

Over the last few days, things had settled down. Those Caeorleian Council guys were no longer trying to force us into matches with their own people. Ryker’s guy had really told them off, calling it the rape it would have been. The other two men might want one of these pale aliens touching them, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what would happen to us on their planet, but I didn’t need anyone pawing at me. I’d known I would need more information, so I pumped the only person I could. Ryker had spent a few afternoons telling us everything he’d learned living on Caeorleia, which was the name of their planet.

I’d tried to absorb everything about the Caeorleians, treating what he told me like a debriefing. Before Ryker and his isit had rescued us, the only term I’d heard the planet called was MC-214-XXV. It had been the subject of a lot of speculation among the rank and file since it’d been discovered. The rest of the time I stayed in my room, avoiding the guards. Especially the one always hovering over Nicklaus. It creeped me out to see the way he watched him every second—so possessive. Fieo never touched Nicklaus but focused on him with a single-minded intensity.

Ryker and his alien guy, Seral, were never far apart, either. Being part of that kind of constricting relationship would’ve driven me insane. A slave to a need not my own? No. Not on the agenda.

I sighed, dipping my other arm in the water up to my wrist. It was really too hot out in the sun, but the shade of those weird sampanga trees was filled with naked aliens. And as tempting as the water was, I didn’t want to go swimming. That would involve taking off my robe.

I was not comfortable with that, even if it seemed like almost everyone on this planet shunned clothing. I’d never seen so many cocks and balls, and I’d been in military school and then actually joined the Space Forces as a teenager. Close quarters with a lot of guys was nothing new, but I couldn’t believe the Caeorleians’ blasé attitude toward nudity. Ryker had told us about the confusion over the different concept of clothing he’d encountered when he first showed up. Ryker ran around in a pair of shorts and had given Nicklaus a few pairs. I was too big for his shorts, so I had to wear the aliens’ version of a skirt and robe.

It was awkward. I’d tried to wear my pants I’d been wearing when we fled the ship, but it was too hot. I was not going to go naked, though, not like these aliens.

A shadow fell over me. I dipped my shoulder and spun as I surged to my feet. The guard who had come up behind me seemed startled and looked at me uncertainly as I glared at him.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, clenching my hands into fists, barely resisting the urge to show him my fangs. “What do you want?”

He held up his hands and took a step back. “Sorry. Everyone is going inside; it’s too hot out here. Seral has invited you to eat with him, and the midday meal will be served soon.”

I grimaced. Being stuck in a crowd of people around a table was the last place I wanted to be, but I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. I waited for the guard to move after he gestured at the path. The guard took another few steps away from me, but he didn’t start walking toward the building until I walked past him. Then he followed me. I ground my teeth, my shoulders hunching up.

I could have been safe the past five years, in a hovel back on my home planet, working in a factory as a drone assembler or something. I might have more freedom to move around on Caeorleia than I’d had on the ship Ryker and Seral rescued me from, but at this point I wasn’t sure how much better it was here.

Damn scientists.

ABOUT ALICIA NORDWELL
Alicia Nordwell is one of those not so rare creatures, a reader turned writer. Striving to find an interesting story one day, she decided to write what she wanted instead. Then the voices started... Yep, not only does she talk about herself in the third person for bios, she has voices in her head constantly clamoring to get out.

Fortunately, with the encouragement of her family and friends, she decided for her own sanity to keep writing. Now you can find her stories both free and e-published. When she’s not on the computer typing away, she's a wife and a mom of two in the dreary, yet ideal for her redhead complexion, Pacific Northwest. Except for when she disappears into one of the many worlds in her head, of course!

She can also be found quite often at her blog, where she has a lot of free fiction for readers to enjoy or working hard, or maybe hardly working, as an admin on GayAuthors.org under her online nickname, Cia.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Welcome to Wednesday Briefs! It's flash fiction, so this story will be presented in 1000(ish)-word chapters. I hope you enjoy it, and check out the many other flashers, whose links are below. You can also check out the Wednesday Briefs Blog for more info and to sign up for email notifications.

We stood in the middle of the room, kissing passionately. Without looking away from my eyes, Aramis unbuckled my belt and tossed it onto the floor. The pants, which were far too big, fell down around my ankles. I tripped on them and fell onto my ass. My pride was bruised, but I quickly got to my knees and looked up at my mate.

"I want to suck you," I said quietly.

"Please, Eliot."

I quickly got his pants down around his thighs, and I whimpered when I saw the long, thick cock pointing right at me. Wrapping my fingers around him, I licked my lips and looked up at Aramis through my lashes. "You promise to fuck me after?"

His smile was sinful. "I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week. How does that sound?"

I kissed the tip of his cock and sucked gently, working my tongue into the slit. Aramis hissed in pleasure and I grinned. I reached around and stroked his ass, then got an idea. I wondered if Aramis had ever had his ass played with before. I figured he'd stop me if he didn't like it, so I went with my instinct. I pulled off his cock and sucked a finger into my mouth. Aramis' eyebrows drew down.

I slipped my hand between his legs and circled his tight opening with my finger. His legs shook and he inhaled sharply. It was amazing, exerting this much power over my mate. I wrapped one hand around his dick, stroking him, using my spit as lube while I worked the tip of my finger into him. He winced, so I withdrew my finger and rubbed his thigh. "Have you ever had anything in your ass before?"

"N-no," he breathed.

"You trust me?" I asked. He nodded, so I gently pushed my finger back into him, in and out, until I was all the way in. I began long, slow thrusts, until the worried lines on his face smoothed out and a small smile curved his lips. He was enjoying it, thank God. A drop of pre-come gathered on the tip of his cock and I licked it off. My mate swore under his breath and his ass tensed around my finger.

"Relax," I said.

"Feels weird," he said.

"Good weird?" I bent my finger forward and rubbed his prostate.

Aramis arched his back and cried out, "Holy shit, that is so fucking good weird!" He grabbed me by the shoulder and tugged. "Gotta fuck you, baby."

I slowly pulled out of his ass and he grunted from the sensation. He ripped off my shirt, then his own. Then he bent me over the bed and knelt down behind me. Even though he'd done it before, I couldn't help but gasp when his tongue breached my body. It was wild. I'd never seen him that eager before. He swirled his tongue around my hole, then pushed a finger into me. Another finger quickly followed and I yelped.

Aramis froze and asked, "Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?"

"No," I said impatiently. "Please, Air. Just fuck me already."

"Gladly, babe."

He was on his feet and sliding into me before I could blink. I wasn't quite stretched enough, and it was a little painful, but I needed my mate. I shoved a hand under myself and fisted my dick. "Fuck me. Oh shit, fuck me."

His pace picked up and he leaned over me. His chest hair rubbed against the bare skin of my back and I groaned. The groan turned into a cry of ecstasy when I felt my mate's fangs scrape my shoulder. I turned my head and offered myself, as much as I could in the position I was in.

"Mine," Aramis snarled. His fangs pierced my skin and I fought for a second before giving in to the delicious pleasure of feeding my mate. The gentle tug against my skin was in sharp contrast to the brutal thrusting of his hips and I was driven to the edge quickly.

"Coming," I breathed. "Holy fuck, Aramis. Come with me, please."

I tightened my muscles around him and reveled in the long, low moan I dragged from my mate. Hot come spilled deep inside me and I cried out as I came all over my hand and the bed I was pressed against. Aramis licked the bite on my throat and collapsed on top of me.

"I never want to move again," he mumbled.

"Me neither, but—"

His phone buzzed with a text and we both growled at being interrupted. "S'pose I should get it?"

"No." It buzzed again, so I nodded. "Yes."

He pulled out of me carefully and stood, but then put a hand on my lower back, holding me down. "Jesus Christ, you look so fucking slutty, laying there with my come dripping out of your ass."

"Slutty?" I repeated with a scowl.

Aramis raised his eyebrows. "Sexy?"

"Better. Now answer your phone while I figure out what to wear." I yanked the sheet off the bed and cleaned up with it. No way was I walking around with my mate's spunk dripping out of me. Looking around for clothes, I realized I had no choice but to pull on the too-big pants and belt them tightly. All of the buttons on my shirt were gone, but it was better than nothing, so I pulled it on and let it hang open.

He dug through his pants and pulled out his cell. "Oh shit."

My gut clenched. "Oh shit, what?"

He showed me his phone and I read the text from Epp: Nice performance. Everyone heard you. Mom's gone apeshit and says to get down here now, looking respectable if you can. We tried to distract her with a game of cribbage, but she's pretty pissed.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

I'm very please to play host today to Julie Lynn Hayes to celebrate the release of her new book, CROSSROADS.

BLURBCrossroads: a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences

Clete Deveraux is a little old Southern boy a long way from home, drifting the highways with his abusive boyfriend, Vern. Tal Clark is newly graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, but his plans for a carefree summer have just been derailed and he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Things happen for a reason…

Clete and Tal’s lives intersect at a rest stop in central Missouri, but sometimes first impressions aren’t the best. And finding the right path isn’t always easy.

Clete and Tal have reached a crossroads… and now they have to decide which way they want to go. And who they want to go with.

EXCERPT
As he rounded the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks, his thought not only unfinished, but completely slammed from his head by the sight before him. A figure stood in front of one of the vending machines, slender legs encased in tight blue jeans that led to the most gorgeous ass Tal thought he’d ever seen in his life, a notion that was seconded by his dick, which twitched its agreement.

Genie who?

The girl had fine blonde hair, so pale it seemed almost white, but maybe that was just due to the harshness of the lights. Tal’s heart was beating a staccato tattoo inside his chest at the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the next. His imagination began to run rampant, as he pictured himself placing his hands on those dainty hips, drawing her to him as he nibbled on her neck. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this turned on. A little voice inside his head rejoiced. Genie was wrong—he wasn’t what she’d said he was, and this was proof positive of that. It was all her fault if he found more pleasure in a book than in her bed. See? The proof of his sexuality was here, staring him in the face. Well, her ass, his face.

And then she turned, and in the next moment all his illusions shattered around him.

She... was... a he.

Just damn.

This guy was pretty enough to be a girl, easily, Tal’s confused libido tried to make amends. He wore small hoop earrings in one ear that jingled lightly when he turned his head. His eyes were a blue so pale they almost disappeared into his face, his smooth skin lightly tanned, which only brought out the pinkness of his pretty lips.

Pretty lips? Where had that come from?

ABOUT JULIE LYNN HAYES
Julie Lynn Hayes first began publishing short stories and poetry in the 1990’s, when it was a different ballgame altogether, and ebooks hadn’t been dreamed of yet. That changed in 2010 with the acceptance of her first romance novel. She’s come a long way since that first book appeared, and is finding the journey a very educational one.

She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and her cat Ramesses. She often writes of two men finding true love and happiness in one another’s arms, and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She likes to write in different genres, to stretch herself in order to see what is possible. Her great challenge is to be told something can’t be done; she feels compelled to do it.

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stich, needlepoint and knitting, and she loves to cook, spending time watching the Food Network. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian. Her family thinks she’s a bit off, but she doesn’t mind. Marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is a good thing, after all.